First, a disclaimer: a delayed flight meant that by the time I'd arrived, most of the meatballs were entirely picked over. But of those that were still being served, the one that stunned me the most came from midtown Manhattan's Fresco by Scotto. I'll admit that the restaurant — a Manhattan mini-chain that's recently branched out into, of all things, frozen dinner deliveries — was a bit of an unlikely contender. But I was blown away by the restaurant's impressively tender meatball of ground duck and porcini mushrooms, served in a sauce of sun-dried cherries and Barolo wine.

Despite a longtime love affair with ground meats, it had never, ever occurred to me that a meatball composed of duck meat could be so delectable. After tonight, I've decided that it's going to have to be my next kitchen experiment! Have you ever had a duck meatball?